1. DESIGNING NEWSLETTERS
2. MANAGING E-MAIL ADDRESS LISTS
3. SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBE
4. SENDING NEWSLETTERS
5. SECURITY & PRIVACY
6. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
7. PRICING AND BILLING
1. DESIGNING GRAPHICAL NEWSLETTERS
Does ListBlaster provide sample newsletters?
Yes, but you are not limited to these. You can design you own. You can have them designed for you. When you create a newsletter, save it as a template for later use. ListBlaster provides a growing range of templates for different audiences: press releases, invitations, product launches, newsletters, quotes, memos, letters, travelogues, announcements and more.
Can I add (Flash) animations to a newsletter?
Yes. Using the Editor, you can also place animated GIFs (pictures) anywhere in the newsletter. Keep these small, typically less than 20Kb. To add Flash files, add the HTML code manually. You can edit the HTML by ticking the 'View HTML' option on the status bar in the online editor.
How do I place images next to a text paragraph?
In the editor, create a table. Place images in one column and the text in another. When the design is complete, set the table border to zero to make the table invisible. Alternatively, select the image and choose the 'make absolute' button on the editor button bar. You can now drag and drop it wherever you like.
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2. MANAGING E-MAIL ADDRESS LISTS
How do subscribers unsubscribe?
Each e-mail you send using ListBlaster has an unsubscribe link appended to it. If you have only one general subscriber list it will say 'Unsubscribe from this mailing list'. If you have several categories of subscriptions active on your subscribe form, the link will be 'Manage my subscription'.
How do I get new subscribers?
The ListBlaster subscription form builder (available under the manage mailing lists section) enables you to collect new subscriptions from a subscribe link on your website. The website link enables users to subscribe to specific mailing lists (which you can set up to correspond to your newsletter categories). You can design your subscription form with logos, fonts and colors. When you're done setting up the subscription form, ListBlaster generates the HTML code for you (or your webmaster) to insert into your existing website code.
Will I receive bounced return e-mails from (newly) invalid addresses?
No! This is where ListBlaster saves you time and removes the huge headache of hundreds of undelivered e-mails bouncing back and clogging your inbox. ListBlaster automatically flags invalid e-mail addresses (so-called 'hard bounces') so that they are excluded from future mailings. So-called 'soft bounces' (addresses that are temporarily unavailable), go through a series of checks before they become a 'hard bounce'. E-mail addresses are being checked for validity on a continual basis.
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3. SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBE
Will I know when there are new subscribers (and unsubscriptions)?
Yes. In the ListBlaster reporting tool, the number of un/subscribes are available per week, month and year, as well as per mailshot sent.
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4. SENDING NEWSLETTERS
Can ListBlaster be used for unsolicited bulk e-mail (spamming)?
As with any e-mail program, in theory one could. But to send 1 million e-mails using ListBlaster will cost $20,000. ListBlaster is not designed to be as a spam tool, but as an online, value added service for a range of functions, including personalised opt-in marketing to clients and inhouse communication with colleagues, as well as private use.
What ListBlaster is used for?
The ListBlaster tool is used by corporates, small business and private individuals. The uses are endless, but most people use ListBlaster to communicate with clients, colleagues and relatives or friends. Private use would include invites, announcements, travelogues and family albums. Small businesses might use ListBlaster for press releases, newsletters, product launches, quotes, letters, proposals and more. Corporates, on the other hand, might have an inhouse communications department that wants to send out inhouse newsletters, reports, memos and directives to other offices, as well as a range of opt-in or other marketing functions.
Do you CC or B-CC the newsletter to multiple recipients?
No, when sending, each newsletter is addressed and sent individually. This is much more effective. When people see a single stock phrase in the "To" field of the received e-mail, they usually associate it with spam.
Can I personalise the e-mails or use different subject lines?
Not yet. A future version of ListBlaster, planned for release in early 2003, will have easy-to-use personalisation.
How do I know if e-mails that I sent out were actually opened?
ListBlaster provides statistics of sent newsletters and reports the percentage of e-mails opened per mailshot, as well as how many were sent and how many website click-throughs were generated.
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5. SECURITY & PRIVACY
Are my stored newsletters, images and mailing lists secure?
ListBlaster is hosted at a large data center in New York. Our hosting provider has a state-of-the-art network operation center providing full security, fire walling, backup, and multi-tier, redundant high-speed network connections. Our Privacy Policy strictly precludes us from providing personal data to any third party.
Do you sell e-mail address lists?
No. Your address lists, or your login e-mail address lists will never be disclosed to third parties. ListBlaster does not sell lists of targeted e-mail addresses. Read our Privacy policy for full details.
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6. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Can I download the ListBlaster program and install it?
No, ListBlaster is a hosted application, like Hotmail. It is used online, by logging in with a username (e-mail address) and password at www.ListBlaster.net.
What software do I need to use ListBlaster?
Any Windows PC with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5, or higher. No downloads or plug-ins are required. Some advanced editor functions will only be available when running Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0. IE 5.5 or 6 can be downloaded free from www.microsoft.com or www.tucows.com. In Internet Explorer you can check the version of your browser under the Help > About menu.
I have a Macintosh. Can I use ListBlaster?
Macintosh users can use the system to manage and send to mailing lists, but not to design newsletters using the online HTML editor.
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7. PRICING AND BILLING
How much does the ListBlaster service cost?
Our month to month service plan is priced at $49.95. There are never any contracts or cancellation fees.
Can I pay with Paypal?
Yes. Presently you can pay by credit card through the secure Paypal payment gateway which is accessible on the 'Sign up here' menu link on the ListBlaster homepage.
If I cancel my subscription, how long will my account be active?
If you sign up for a monthly or annual subscription, your account with ListBlaster will run to the end of the agreed period. If you sign up today and cancel tomorrow, your account will remain active for another 30 days (or 365 days if you subscribed for the annual plan).
How do I know when my account has been debited?
Paypal will confirm each debit by e-mail. More information is available on the Paypal website at www.Paypal.com.
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